Akira Blu-rayReview

Share.

The seminal anime classic finally debuts in Blu.

By Cindy White

It's fair to say that 14289324.html" class="autolink" >Akira is one of the most highly anticipated Blu-ray titles since the format was introduced. In fact, back in December when we compiled our list of the top 25 titles we'd like to see on Blu-ray, Akira was on that list. The film isn't just one of the pillars of anime, but one of the most beloved animated films of all time. It's an institution. So naturally, we were pretty excited to hear that it's finally coming out in glorious high-definition.

For those who might need a refresher on the story, it takes place in the futuristic city of Neo Tokyo, which has risen from ashes of a nuclear explosion (or was it?). Street gangs clash with faceless government agencies, while science is used and abused and everyone tries to make sense of it all. Caught in the midst of the post-apocalyptic chaos are Kaneda and Tetsuo. When engaged in combat with their sworn enemies (a rival biker gang known as the Clowns), they come in contact with a young boy named Takashi, the product of human experimentation. Tetsuo is injured by the boy's mysterious powers and captured by the government, and Kaneda's quest to find him leads to discovery and conspiracy that could result in the ultimate secret being revealed -- the secret known as Akira.

While the animation may not be up to the standard of today's pristine (and often soulless) computer-generated features, there's a truly artistic, charming and organic feel to Akira that comes across nicely in this presentation. Yes, the picture is generally soft, at times unstable, and not always squeaky clean, but for a film of this age, it's still quite striking. The colors are lovely, especially the reds -- like the crimson of Kaneda's bike and matching outfit -- and the azure blues of the streets of Neo Tokyo. The cityscapes in the backgrounds are quite detailed, revealing surface textures and other elements you may never have seen before. The film hasn't looked this good since it came out, and maybe not even then.

Score: 8 out of 10

Languages and Audio

An insert inside the case informs consumers that 5.1 Dolby TrueHD English track was recorded in 48 kHz/16 bit sound and doesn't produce the hypersonic effect as heard in the Japanese TrueHD track in 192 kHz/24 bit audio. Basically, they're saying (and our direct comparisons confirmed it), that the original hypersonic Japanese TrueHD track simply blows the English one out of the water. Hearing to the two tracks back to back is like the difference between hearing a wild party next door and being smack-dab in the middle of that party. Just listen to the rhythmic drums that break the silence in the opening sequence. The rumbling, resonant sound will have your eardrums humming. And it only gets better from there. The bike chases will knock your socks off. The explosions will blow the roof off. The moving score blends seamlessly into the sound effects with startling directionality. Seriously, even if you're not a purist and you hate reading subtitles, do yourself a favor and listen to the original Japanese track at least once. This is as good as sound gets.

Score: 10 out of 10 (Japanese track only)

Extras and Packaging

This single-disc release comes inside a standard blue case with a sturdy and striking cardboard slipcase cover. Also included in the package is a 32-page color booklet with far more information about the film than is covered in the extras on the disc. There are several pages devoted to the hypersonic sound experience, which will give readers an even better idea of the advances in sound technology represented here. There's also an interview with Otomo, a background on the animation and some analysis of the storyboards. It would have been better if some of this content had gone into the special features, but it's still nice to have it.

The full list of special features includes:

Teaser #1

Teaser #2

TV Commercial

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

Storyboards

These are basically just brief, vintage promotional spots with footage from the film and voiceover narration. They feature some cool musical accompaniment, but a lot of them show the same scenes and they get repetitive after a while.

The introduction to the storyboards feature explains that these are the actual storyboards drawn and used by director Katsuhiro Otomo during the production of the film. The navigation allows the user to scroll through the still images, projected on the screen two at a time. There are a total of 369 (!) pages, but an index with labels in both Japanese and English allows you to select a chapter of the film and go directly to the storyboards for that chapter.

Unfortunately, that's the extent of the features offered here. There's no commentary track, despite the countless film and animation historians who could have provided some insight on this essential classic. The featurettes produced for earlier films -- like an interview with the director and a making-of documentary -- have also been curiously omitted from this release.

Score: 5 out of 10

The Bottom Line

It's great to see Akira finally getting the high-definition treatment it deserves, but it's a pity they skimped on the extras. Despite the wasted potential, though, the video and (especially) the audio quality ought to please impatient fans who have been dying to see the film in this format.